Collide
by Jupiter's Promise
Summary: Jack and Will share a love of secret gestures and furtive kisses behind Elizabeth's back. How long can it go on before someone tires of the game and forces resolution? 'SLASH' JackWill, Turrow, whatever you want to call it. R&R&a bottle of rum. Ch4 up.
1. Denai de kudasai

Will yawned and ran his hand over the torso that calmly undulated beneath him, letting it rest over his own drowsy eyes. The steady rise and fall of Jack's chest was undeniably akin to the gentle rocking of a ship, and in the exhausted haze of the late hour, Will could almost hear a current sluicing beneath the floor, and the trade winds ruffling the tackle and filling the sails—black sails pulling them to a distant horizon. It was the beautiful instant before he left the world of dreams when awareness shyly dawned and he knew nothing but the sensation of being, just like this.

Suddenly he jerked up, aghast at the brightness penetrating the windows. He shook the glaze of sleep from his eyes, all the while frantically trying to gauge the magnitude of his error by the lateness of the morning the light evinced.

"Just moonlight, luv. Still too early to fly." Jack's voice rumbled.

Will turned to acknowledge his lover, but the man showed no sign of wakefulness. Sighing in the silent heat of the Caribbean night, he worked to still his now racing heart, his breathing a harsh staccato like the clang of a blacksmith's strokes. He looked over Jack, whose eyes remained lidded and whose even breathing never skipped.

The scene was rather lovely actually. Sure enough, it was not the gaudy rays of the sun which robed Jack, but rather a gentle lunar gleam. It was wrong to say that Will doubted the lovely gold of sunbeams would also suit his lover, but the day was not for them. Will had long ago claimed the Jack of night, but like clockwork, the first morning rays would banish him from this sanctuary, and by the time they reached Jack, the pirate would be out of Will's reach. None yet claimed Jack in the waking hours.

Will continued to gaze appreciatively, smiling at the countless marks and scars, tattoos and flecks that decorated the pirate. Navy men had their medals and Jack had these. Often enough they had lain like this and Will had asked about one or more of them. Jack had a story for each one and though most of them were probably exaggerated, stolen, or made up on the spot, Will happily accepted each colorful scrap as it was added to his patchwork pirate. He was constantly rediscovering the body with the delight of an astronomer in a new cosmos.

At the moment, the unchanged vision of the slumbering figure made Will wonder whether he hadn't imagined the voice. Lying back against Jack, he felt a strong arm pull him close and rest possessively on his bare hip. So at least the madness wasn't contagious.

A moment of utter stillness passed over the room and its inhabitants. Will was now keenly aware that instead of a shipboard cabin, they were sharing a seedy room in a seedy inn. The air was thick and stagnant. The only things beneath their bed were rickety floorboards and below these a raucous tide of drunks and whores coming and going from the barroom. The horizon was fixed and distant.

Will yawned and allowed his fingers to lazily glide over the trail of black hair that led South from Jack's navel. The pirate shivered in response, and despite the heat drew his boy impossibly closer.

**_-_**

Will rose with the sun, gently disentangling himself from Jack's embrace, which was confounded by the fact that their sweaty bodies had seemingly fused at some point in the night and his skin clung stubbornly to Jack's. He touched the floor with unsteady feet and found his trousers and stockings among the rubble of their discarded clothes.

Reaching for his shoes next, Will paused as he spied Jack's intriguing boots. With reverent slowness he pulled these on over the wrinkled but still white stockings. The leather was soft and yielding, worked to the point of suppleness by facilitating Jack's often-frantic dance through life.

As Will pulled on the shirt a salty musk assaulted his nose, warning him that this too was Jack's. He gave himself a once-over, realizing with a smile that he was half dressed in Jack's clothes. It was not an unpleasant notion.

Chuckling softly at the thought, Will removed the shirt and kicked off the boots, carefully folding the former along with the rest of Jack's haphazardly scattered garb and lining up the latter beside. He crowned the stack with Jack's hat. Then he finished dressing himself and stepped into his trim little shoes.

Aside from the bed and in the opposite corner, the room had but one furnishing, and this a stained, haggard old bureau. Atop it lay a ribbon and a ring. Binding his hair with the ribbon, Will recrossed the room to place a gentle kiss on Jack's cheek. The pirate still did not stir.

Standing with the door ajar, Will turned back. His eyes ravenously consumed the vision, as if aware of the hunger strike that was to follow. Only after he turned to go out and shut the door firmly behind him did Will place the wedding ring on his finger.

**_-_**

The barroom was nearly empty when Will came down the stairs. All of the drunks had found places to sleep, still blissfully unconscious of the blistering headache the morning would bring. One or two snored away at hand but most had moved on in the night. The whores, their business thus removed, were off nursing their bruises and counting their coins.

"Thanks fer folding up my effects so nicely. What a fine wife you'd make William…" Will's surprise was momentary as he felt Jack's body pull up close behind him, pirate arms encircling him and ring-clad hands taking hold of his. The pirate had been awake after all.

"Just one problem Jack of mine," Will replied, holding up his hand to reveal one lone ring. Elizabeth had one just like it.

Jack growled in annoyance and with his pickpocket hands divested Will's finger of the offending object. "Let's leave this off a bit longer, savvy?"

Will turned sharply to face Jack, frowning, but the pirate ignored him. Heedlessly taking up a strand of his hair, he began to braid it, working in the gold ring and letting his new trinket fall among all the others.

"Jack, you know I can't stay." Will's voice sounded weak, even to himself. Jack heard the weakness too, and smirked wolfishly.

"How 'bout a dance luv?" He closed the distance that had developed between them and took the blacksmith into his arms again.

"But there's no music..." Will tried a different angle. His impervious stance however, melted into laughter as Jack began to sway to an unheard rhythm.

"There's always music, William," Jack pointed to his head and grinned like a madman, "but if you insist on something a little more streamline I could always accommodate you." Jack leaned close to Will's ear and began to hum the tune to that blasted pirate ditty Elizabeth had taught him. Will's smile broadened and he began to hum with him, and the two of them sashayed together across the floor.

**_-_**

Lifting his chin from where it had come to rest on Will's shoulder, Jack began to place soft kisses along his neck, nuzzling it happily, never stopping the dance. Will closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, sighing contentedly.

Suddenly he grunted and pulled away, reaching up to feel a livid bruise on his shoulder. Jack's look was tragic.

"Jack, you know there can't be any marks…" Will said with a touch of regret, coming close to Jack again and holding him there. The pirate ran a tongue over the area and sighed, resting his chin on the shoulder again.

"Lizzie's a sharp lass. Surely she must realize. She must see your longing," Jack whispered into Will's ear.

"She thinks I long for the sea alone," replied Will. They were speaking so softly that their words barely touched air, and the sound seemed to transfer straight from vocal chords to eardrum, like their bodies were one unending system. Impulsively, they twirled to an unheard musical flourish.

"Do you know what she gave me on our first anniversary?" Will pressed on. "It was a bed, brought over from Persia. The mattress is made of goatskin and filled with water. It's like sleeping on the ocean."

"Maybe I'll come home with you an' take part in said sleeping." Jack sounded delighted.

"Elizabeth would almost certainly notice you. And anyway, I'd rather sleep on you." Will mumbled, which seemed to delight Jack even more and caused him to promptly dip his dancing partner and kiss him deeply. Will leaned into the kiss, letting Jack's strong arms support him, and feeling the thick black hair fall against his neck and chest. When the air ran out and the kiss finally broke, Jack opened his eyes, still leaning against Will.

"We could have this, every morning. Every night we could rock together on the Pearl." Jack's voice was thin now, wistful. Will pulled closer, hiding his face in Jack's shirt, and gave his pirate a fierce hug. A tear rolled down his cheek into the soft white linen covering Jack's chest, but he said nothing.

Finally, they straightened and drew apart. Jack and Will held hands and slowly walked together towards the door.

"Hold your applause gents, just glad you enjoyed the show." Jack called, bowing to the undisturbed drunks as he and Will stepped off the dance floor.

**_-_**

As they exited a wave of heat hit full-force. The angry sun glared down at them reproachfully and it promised to get hotter as the morning wore on. It was a typical summer's day in the Caribbean when the men would go shirtless and the women would go mad. 'Maybe that will make them more appealing to me.' Will thought wryly, eyeing the erratic steps of the entirely sober man beside him. They headed to the stables.

"Its days like these that the whole crew of the Pearl says bullocks to propriety and spends the day sailing naked as jaybirds." Jack smiled at the blush that colored Will's cheeks and put an arm around his shoulder affectionately, nodding at the stable boy, who promptly returned to sleep.

"Don't you worry William, I don't much fancy the thought of the crew ogling what's mine. You could always wear my clothes on those days. They do look smashing on you, especially the boots." Will turned to Jack with a start and the pirate laughed as a new blush deepened Will's coloring.

"Do you ever truly sleep, Jack Sparrow?" Will asked, shaking his head and reminding himself never to trust a pirate. He moved the bridle into place and watched as Jack saddled the horse and examined its hooves. Jack truly was a renaissance man. Among his many mysterious facets of knowledge was a good amount of familiarity with equestrian matters. It was just another thing that puzzled Will and he made a mental note to ask Jack about it one day.

When the horse was all ready, they led it out to the road and Will climbed onto its back. He and Jack shared a momentary stare down, neither willing to admit he was searching for weakness in his partner's resolve.

"Until we meet again, luv."

"Take care of yourself Jack. For God's sake just be careful!"

Jack donned that capricious smile that was so winning on him and stood on his toes. Will leaned down as the two shared a kiss that tasted far too much of bitter finality.

Will abruptly broke away and spurred the horse, taking off down the road. He pushed on with a burst of speed to fight the pull that threatened to send him careening back from whence he'd come, but his traitorous heart escaped and flew back to the pirate and freedom.

"That's it, luv." Jack Sparrow spoke to the wind. "You go back to your lady love. And I to mine." He pulled a flask of rum from the pocket of the cloak slung over his arm and drank to William Turner.

**_-_**

Will sighed heavily as he dismounted and drew his horse around to the stables in the back of the Port Royal governor's mansion. Darkness had descended long ago, and he knew he was later than he'd promised. An attendant quickly stepped up to take the horse and Will turned to head back out to the mansion and to his wife.

As he grasped the latch on the stable door, he happened to notice his hand and practically jumped. He searched the vicinity frantically for a moment before it dawned on him. Fortunately, Elizabeth must have been asleep, for she was not waiting for him in the drawing room. That would give him a few precious hours to come up with a good reason why his wedding ring was hundreds of miles away, braided into the hair of a pirate.

**_End of part 1_**

A/N: My first shot at the Pirates fandom and not much I know. It was actually inspired by the song 'Collide' by Howie Day but only just.If anyone's interested I could go on, review and tell me what you think!


	2. Jibun de nerarenai

Jack muttered and rolled over onto his back to give that position one more try. Tonight, not even the soothing coos of the pearl nor the comely tumbles of the evening tide could bring him solace.

"_Do you ever truly sleep, Jack Sparrow?"_

Unbidden, Will's voice appeared in Jack's head, authentically dripping with mock indignation.

"Not since we parted you bloody whelp," he shot back.

Jack growled in frustration, knowing the sleep deprivation was acute when he started conversing with a phantom Will. He turned onto his side and right one cue, a lock of hair in which a golden ring was ensconced fell over his face.

"Bloody Elizabeth gets to sleep with bloody Will tonight and I'm sure they're havin' a right bloody time at it." Jack grumbled off a stream of colorful curses and pushed the fallen hair back into place.

It had been a rotten day for pirating with no wind to fill the sails all day and no rum to fill the emptiness at night. No wind and no rum and no whelp. Jack had to admit he hadn't slept well since he and Will had parted ways some weeks ago. More recently, the flow of rum had turned to a trickle and then dried up all together. It was understandable that these set of circumstances made for an irritable captain. Damn but the boy was habit forming.

Stretching out on his back again, Jack closed his eyes and decided to let his restless mind head out to pasture for a bit. After a moment of random conjecture, his thoughts finally settled on an image of Will. _'How very original," _he mumbled to himself, but his mind rolled on heedlessly into memory.

It was the Will of three years ago that strode into his imaginings—young, wide-eyed, and hopelessly devoted to one Miss Elizabeth Swann. Still, his hands bore one marked improvement. They were as yet bare of meddlesome rings…

_**-flashback-**_

"You're up early, Whelp," Jack smiled broadly at the dirty look he earned from the lad and emerged fully from the main cabin of the Interceptor, prancing across the deck to the jingle of his own baubles.

The pirate was glad to get any reaction from the boy who had spent the past two days stubbornly ignoring him altogether. The nature of the reaction was of secondary importance. That Will immediately returned to his mopping didn't bother Jack either. He knew the boy had heard and he was in high spirits. Deciding to press his luck, Jack placed one heavy boot on the moist head of the mop.

Will yanked the handle, but it refused to budge. Finally, he was forced to acknowledge Captain Sparrow, who was leaning solicitously into his personal space with one eyebrow cocked. When the pirate didn't budge despite the annoyed glance Will leveled at him, the boy finally answered:

"I am used to getting up early to work. It's only in the early morning and late at night that a blacksmith can get anything done in this blasted Caribbean heat. The deck will be insufferable soon. And besides, toil begets character."

Will was gratified to see Jack pull away and walk over to the storeroom where several other mops leaned among buckets, scrub brushes and other cleaning devices. He chose a long-handled implement and dipped it into the bucket, proceeding to write 'Jack' across the deck in great salty loops.

"Lunatic." Will muttered under his breath, surprised at the fondness that crept into his voice.

The jab did not, however, escape Jack's keen ears, and the pirate turned his attentions to Will once more. He stepped closer again and was now running his discerning eyes over Will, "You've self-appointed to swab this deck every morning in the wee hours despite the fact that the royal navy handed it over to us as spick and span as Queen Charlotte's knickers, and you're calling _me_ a lunatic?"

Jack leaned in close and punctuated his logic with an eyebrow raised curiously in Will's direction, causing Will to look down at the water swirling around his shoes sheepishly. The spark of anger Jack had been heckling was abruptly snuffed, to the pirate's great annoyance. He rather enjoyed the spirited Will and the only way he'd yet managed to coax it out was by annoying the boy to no end. Well, there was one other way…

Abruptly, Jack raised his mop and jabbed his unsuspecting companion in the face. Will fell back onto the seat of his pants with a grunt and glared daggers up at the pirate, wiping a mask of briny seawater from his face.

"What in God's-" Jack silenced Will with a merciless downward stroke which the blacksmith deftly halted by bringing his own 'weapon' up before him.

"C'mon whelp, soon I'll be swabbin' the deck's with your handsome mug again!" Jack shouted, crossing and recrossing his blade with Will's.

"You didn't beat me last time, you cheated!" Will had managed to rise and began to insert his own blows in between Jack's merciless assaults.

"I think you're confusing cause and effect William." Jack lunged and made several quick jabs, all of which Will knocked aside in quick succession, "You see cheating was the method by which I secured my victory. I preformed the former which led to but was in no way in contradiction with the latter and consequently-."

This time Jack was interrupted as he ducked below the arc of a long, wooden handle which almost took off his head. Will grunted in satisfaction and struck again, locking their mops together and struggling against Jack. The pirate was the smaller of the two but regardless, Will received no quarter. They broke without a victor and continued to traverse the deck of the interceptor, the air filling with sporadic claps that rolled like thunder as their mops clicked together with each dynamic soirée.

_**-**_

The sun had climbed high when they finally collapsed onto the deck, shining with sweat and enthusiasm, exhaustion commandeering their bodies from adrenaline. The duel had ended in a stalemate, but Jack could see that Will was smiling and he knew he had been victorious. They sat shoulder to shoulder against the side of the cabin, reveling in the meager shade it offered.

When his breathing finally began to normalize, Jack casually peeled off his shirt, which was soaked to the point of transparency anyway, and tossed it away. Will turned to him and glanced with equal nonchalance at the lean, tanned form. Jack's body was a mass of mechanics, sinewy muscles and tense, callous skin. Jack's body was utilitarian, but speckled with tattoos and scars like an Appaloosa. Jack's body was intriguing.

"Gettin' a good eyeful luv?" Jack smiled and Will busied himself with removing his own shirt to hide the blush creeping up on his face. He turned his attention over to a log that was bobbing in and out of sight as the sea bore it along. The lad was forming an annoying habit of looking at anything other than Jack whenever the pirate berated him. At the moment, he looked downright boyish with his errant eyes and the soft red resting in his cheeks.

His chest was perfectly formed—statuesque and in all the right proportions. It could well have been part of a marble sculpture, and Jack tried to recall whether Bootstrap had ever mentioned having any Greek in him. Against the dark pirate's it looked especially fair, like porcelain beside earthenware, but his arms were dark and rough, already branded by the hot metals and leaping flames of the forge. This was one quality Jack and Will shared— the audacity to temper unforgiving elemental forces—fire and water—and both had the nicks to prove it. The same pursuits had given Will deeply cut muscles which, along with two inches of vertical height, leant him a slight size advantage over his companion.

Out of nowhere, Jack produced a flask, which Will flatly refused when it was offered him. Jack could be quite the magician when he liked, mysterious and, much as Will hated to admit it, entertaining.

Unperturbed, the pirate drank deeply, thinking that he rather liked this 'small crew' scheme. It was close— intimate. Well, just the two of them was impractical, but there could be more. The whelp would just have to be one of them. He noticed that Will was ignoring him in favor of an inanimate object again, this time his mop.

"Don't believe whatever lies that mop's tellin' you regarding myself. All vicious falsehoods, I can assure you," Jack said conversationally.

"Actually Jack, I was just thinking that you must've gotten the idea for your hair by staring at just such a mop too long in the afternoon sun." Will quipped, giving his attention back to the pirate.

"ACTUALLY, it was by staring at my lovely locks that a young swabbie conceived of the mop," Jack countered, happy to receive it.

"Ah, so that means you must be far older than even I could have predicted." Will nodded in grave understanding.

Quick as a whip Jack jumped up, grabbing the bucket, and Will had just enough time to leap partially out of the way as a torrent of saltwater soaked his side as well as his former location. Laughing gleefully, he seized Jack's forgotten rum and splashed the remainder onto the pirate, who shrieked as if wounded, dodging away and yelling that Will oughtn't to be so careless with the rum.

Will ran after him and seized at the bucket. They wrestled for it briefly, shouting at the top of their lungs with abandon and reveling in the absolute remoteness of the open sea. Soon though, the blistering heat of the sun forced them to retreat back against the side of the ship. Though Will didn't yet know it, the uninhibited pleasure of the moment was one he would begin to associate with Jack alone.

_**-**_

Jack was pleased with the rum and the good company and an easy smile paused on his lips. That lad really was an awful lot like Bootstrap, though he needed a bit more encouragement to get going. Still, Jack found himself steadily loosening the lad's tight strings. He had a knack for that kind of thing. He and rum could do it like nobody or nothing else.

But a shade of consternation crossed his face when he looked at Will again. The boy's brow was already recreased with worry, and was that a touch of guilt as well?

Jack leaned into the boy and raised his eyebrow, which seemed to have become his sign that Will's behavior was concerning him.

"I shouldn't act so silly. Not with Elizabeth in the hands of those villainous pirates," the lad explained, looking away again, shamefully.

"What are you talkin' about, lad? You're here on a ship commandeered from the royal navy, with a rogue of a pirate that you sprung from prison, headed towards her at top speed. She couldn't ask more of you." Jack's voice was surprisingly gentle and Will had to recover his adamancy:

"And here I am, enjoying myself like I'm on some kind of a pleasure cruise."

Jack knew he had to act fast; the lad looked like he was on the verge of self-inflicting. And he supposed he owed it to Bootstrap. If the man hadn't been off plundering he'd surely have nipped this emotional dysfunction in the bud.

"That's your problem luv. You're too damned flustered about constantly putting one foot in front of the other. Not a very Caribbean attitude," he replied, patting Will's back in a conciliatory way.

"We can't all stumble through life like you Jack," Will replied bitterly. He didn't seem opposed to Jack's hand though, so the pirate let it rest there on the warm, bare plane of his shoulder blade.

"Ah, but what of your surefooted living? You're so bloody fixed on that image of you and Elizabeth in wedded bliss that you can't see anything before or after. Every breath up 'till then is just a footnote in a preface and afterwards…well they might as well just stuff the two of you and put you in a glass case so you can gaze into each other's eyes happily ever after. There's more to life than just that horizon you've latched firmly in front of you." There was an edge to the pirate's voice, a note of seriousness that made Will anxious.

"Surely even pirates like you can understand endeavoring for a distant horizon," he warily replied, unsure about this side of Jack.

"To be sure, we understand it better than anyone. But if you weren't always trudging along with blinders across those lovely eyes you'd get a chance to look around, and then you'd see that there's a different horizon everywhere you look. There might even be another one as promising and lovely as yours but you've never stepped foot far enough off of the straight and narrow to have a good look see." Admittedly, Jack was making sense at the moment. The pirate was slowly plucking at the strings of Will's longing, surprisingly precise in conducting his beautiful words.

"What is there to see Jack?" Will dared the pirate to convince him.

"There's you and me. Here. Now."

Throughout the course of their conversation, Jack had been running entirely on his instincts, as he always did when navigating such alien waters. When they advised him that a gentle hand on the boy's back couldn't do ill, he had reached out and received only warmth in return, so when they told him to lean forward and press his lips to the boy's, he hesitated not a moment before complying.

Jack bestowed the kiss like a gift: generously and sweetly. His lips didn't wander from Will's and neither did his tongue. Will, for his part, received it with grace, silently admitting he had no experience in the matter and handing control over to Jack without resistance.

Encouraged, Jack turned and wrapped his other arm around Will's waist, allowing for more comfortable access while Will, unsure, rested his idle arms over Jack's shoulders timidly.

Then, urging Will's mouth open, Jack threw his tongue into the mix, wondering mischievously how the boy would react to such an intrusion. He did not expect Will to let out a muffled chuckle, but laugh the boy did, and Jack playfully scolded him with a bite to the lip. His eyebrow went up, and this time, Jack had to lean back slightly to allow the boy to see it.

"Lecherous pirate." Will mumbled thickly, but Jack was pleased to find that though the boy was flushed with color, his eyes didn't wander from Jack. The pirate had finally earned the blacksmith's full attention.

_**-end flashback-**_

Jack finally banished his thoughts of nostalgia and rose, pulling up his trousers and leaving the dark cabin to step out into the deeper darkness of the world. Tonight, raggedy clouds stretched over the moon and the stars causing the little black ship to be clutched in a strangling gloom that may well have stretched to infinity. One lonely lantern stubbornly lit a small orb around the wheel, where the man on night duty sat on a barrel snoring loudly. At least the night watchman was getting a few winks.

Sleeplessness nurtured Jack's fiendish side, and the captain crept forward, tracing a winding path across the most soundless planks a ship such as the Pearl had to offer. As he reached the outer echelons of the light a wicked grin spread across his face and he held out his hands, prepared to leap. This man wouldn't be neglecting his duties again soon…

"Cap'n, that'd be an unnatural cruel thing ta do ta the boy, don't you think?" Gibb's soft, disembodied voice floated over.

Jack immediately straightened and squinted his eyes in his first mate's direction, as if they might pierce the fog of night and discern the figure. Gibbs could see the captain just fine in the illuminated aura of the lamp, and he noticed that beneath the smudged kohl was baggage borne of sleepless nights.

"Not sleepin' well are ye Cap'n?" he observed.

Jack felt a bit nervous in the spotlight of the lantern with the source of Gibbs' voice hidden from him. He didn't entirely trust a mind that was able to recreate Will's voice so clearly. And so motioning Gibbs to follow, he stepped into the darkness and out to the far railing of the Pearl. There, on equal terms, they began to talk of the lack of wind, and commiserated about the absent rum. For a while at least, they avoided broaching the subject of what else was missing from Jack's life.

They had talked of everything inconsequential and a grim silence settled between them. When Jack spoke again, it was as much to the timber of the Pearl beneath his feet as to any human soul.

"I'm tired of spending days and weeks away from my pearl and then returning like a wraith to wander through the days. I'm tired of lying there knowing Will's going to slip out before the sun can gild his gorgeous face. I'm tired of wanting to switch places with the daughter of the governor of Port Royal. All in all I'm bloody exhausted," he said pointedly.

"Well cap'n, I suppose the ends'll have ta justify the means," Gibbs replied, taking out his flask and swigging water with dissatisfaction. He did wish the Captain's vigor would return, but the fact was that Jack got worse the longer he went without seeing Will. He didn't see any solution that was any better than what they'd come up with.

"I lost this ship for 13 years. Now she's finally mine and I can't even enjoy her. I'm tired of this game Gibbs," Jack's voice actually shook in the night air, and his hands gripped the rail of the Pearl tightly enough to leave bruises.

"C'mon Cap'n, ya know that's just the sobriety talkin', we'll pull into a port pretty soon here and-"

"I won't play anymore." The tremble was gone from Jack's voice, replaced by cold resolution.

Gibbs half choked on his water and blinked, looking at the darkness from which Jack's voice was projected. He would've given anything to see Jack's face at that moment. Anxiously, he waited for Jack to laugh at his own joke, though the captain seemed satisfied in the silence.

"But Cap'n, what about Mr. Turner?" The first mate finally ventured, as though Jack might have forgotten the purpose of his excursions.

"He needs this as much as I do, he just doesn't know it yet," Jack replied simply.

"You'll break his heart Jack," Gibbs cried, dismayed.

"I've put him through worse before. William is strong."

Gibbs just stood there mystified. To think that he, who had known Jack since forever, could've so gravely misread the pirate was quite a blow. How could Jack give up so easily?

There was sadness in Gibbs' voice when he spoke again. He was fond of Bootstrap's boy and had rather hoped that someday, Will would give up his charade and answer the summons of the sea as his father had. Additionally, there was Jack to consider, and Gibbs expected the Captain's withdrawal would be painful for everyone around him.

"Then yer resolved never ta see the lad again?"

This time it was Jack's turn to be perplexed. He scrunched up his face and gave Gibbs a look, which of course his first mate couldn't see.

"…Are we having the same conversation?" he asked, leaning back as though to look for a third person on Gibbs' right, "I'm going to go see him right now."

"But sir didn't you just say…" Gibbs massaged his overwrought head.

"I'm going to get William and bring him back and henceforth keep him handy at all times," Jack explained, jumping slightly in surprise when Gibbs let out a whoop of relieved laughter.

"Very good Cap'n, shall we make for Port Royal?" he asked excitedly

Jack nodded, "As you say, Gibbs. Its time to remind Miss Swann-"

"You mean Mrs. Turner sir," Gibbs interjected, missing his captain's annoyed glace. Jack really preferred well-lit conversations. Half of his meaning was lost without gesticulation.

"Regardless, it's time to remind _Elizabeth_ that pirates don't share well!" he said, slamming his foot down on the deck as if to urge the Pearl on.

_**-**_

"Bloody 'ell, I can't believe the Captain's makin' me swab the whole damn deck just because I closed ma eyes for one minute on watch," Gideon grumbled, giving his mop a good throttle.

"Quit yer whinin' Gideon, you're as dainty as a lass an' nigh half so pretty. In the captain's own fine words, toilin' begets character," Cookie shouted, overseeing Gideon's efforts as he cut the rotten bits out of potatoes.

"But why in 'ell do we 'ave three mops if the captain only intends on appointin' one swabbie?" Gideon demanded.

"If you weren't so dense you'd know that them other two mops ain't for swabbin'." Sure enough there was a sign tied to the other two which threatened against their use. Since most of the crew was illiterate, it featured a crude illustration of an unsuspecting swabbie getting stabbed in the eye.

"Them's the Captain's duelin' mops. Look how they're so fancy and nice. Stoled off a navy ship they was, and if you knew anything, you'd know that the captain used 'em to fight off a thousand redcoats single-handedly and then to write 'is name in the blood that soaked the deck. Very precious they are to 'im."

Gideon glanced in awe at the Captain who was a few yards away at the helm, apparently trying to teach Cotton's parrot to swear. Looking back at the mops that had appeared so pristine, he fancied he could now discern faint traces of crimson among the fronds, and quickly returned to his work. No need to arouse the captain's ire.

And so Jack Sparrow's legend lived on…

End of Part II 

A.N. Thanks for your reviews mates. They are so helpful. Incredibly motivating. I'm afraid this chapter is very different from the last one. Longer and not so literary. Bugger. Also sorry this chapter is mostly a flashback, but just to give you a nice hint, Elizabeth will be in the next one, so we're movin' right along. Also, I seem to have developed a penchant for describing Jack's chest… I believe he is shirtless throughout 2/3 of this story and that's the way I likes it!

jla2snoopy- Well you were obviously disgusted enough to bring out the thesaurus. Sorry it impugned you so, and I hope you know better than to be reading this reply…

Thorinella-Many thanks for your review, and yes I dared to think it…now try watching the movies with j/w in mind. It puts a whole new spin on things. Oh and I'm sorry to ask you to wait one more chapter for that excuse I promised. I was mopping up at my place of work and got inspired. Give Mr. Turner one more week eh::Will sighs in relief:

Phoenix Red Lion- Glad to hear it. After that first comment I was starting to get nervous. Anyway, I have to say frankly that I'm not sure how this will end. I've got several scenarios outlined and we'll just have to see what happens. (I am also rather partial to happy endings) Its time to see just how much longer both men can keep it a secret…

Robin Goodlass- That's a fine buccaneer name if ever I saw one! Thanks very much for taking the time to review and I'm glad you were so accepting. I hope you weren't too disappointed, seeing as this chapter is less refined, and I wriggled my way out of that excuse (You're off the hook for now William) if not, I'd be very pleased if you continue to read, and review if you have a mind to.

FastFuriousChick- Yay, a fellow shipper. J+W my POTC OTP! I know this is a bit of a change of pace, but I hope you tag along with me and I bow down in humble gratitude for your review. I really appreciate it.

-JP


	3. Okusan to, ocha

The butler gawked for only a moment before recognizing the figure beneath its thick coat of soot and stepping aside to clear the doorway.

"I trust your trip to the smithy was a refreshing one, Mr. Turner?" He made no attempts to mask his condescension.

"It was," Will answered brusquely, handing over his hat and the light cloak he wore. Such was always his reception when he'd been out working at the forge for the day. Governor Swann had balked at the entire proposal initially, but Elizabeth managed to sway his decision. His sentiments, and that of the whole household, however, remained unchanged.

Will briefly considered censuring the man for his insolence, but just then his muscles declared mutiny and propelled him towards the stairs and a soothing bath instead.

"Mr. Turner, Mrs. Turner requests your presence at tea," the butler called after him.

"I shall join her after I've had a bath." Will replied sharply.

"She requests your _immediate_ presence." The butler corrected, "As a governor's daughter well knows, it is rude to keep guests waiting."

_**-**_

Will opened the door but a few inches and glanced in nervously, for his appearance was wholly unsuitable for most of the company he and Elizabeth kept nowadays. His eyes narrowed in disbelief at the ludicrous caricature before him. He was obviously more fatigued than he'd thought, for Elizabeth appeared to be taking tea with none other than Jack Sparrow.

"_Not this dream again."_ he thought, blinking rapidly in the expectation that Jack might morph into Governor Swann or even the Commodore. Instead, the man reached into his coat pocket and drew out a small bottle of amber liquid, which he offhandedly added to his tea along with two lumps of sugar.

"_If this was a dream, there wouldn't be rum,"_ Will realized, feeling panic begin to spread over him, unfortunately accompanied by a ghastly paralysis. Stricken on the threshold, his thoughts ran wild. How very many things they might have had time to discuss in his absence! The old king's madness, conflict in the colonies, extramarital affairs…Elizabeth's face, and consequentially her countenance, was hidden from his narrow line of site.

"Bugger," he hissed, too surprised at how much Jack was rubbing off on him to properly temper the vigorous oath.

The hum of conversation fell dead at the click of Jack's teacup on the table, and before Will could wonder whether he'd been discovered, his answer came in the form of the wide, crooked grin that spread across the pirate's face.

Will stumbled back and was about to make a run for it when the door flew open and revealed Jack.

"William!" The pirate seized him into a forceful hug, checking his building momentum and sending them both tumbling to the floor. Will found himself looking up at Jack, who was precluding a rash exit by placing his full weight against the blacksmith below him.

Will put aside his worries, and squeezed the smaller man in turn, relieved at the sensation of Jack's heartbeat against his own breast. For the moment, Jack was alive and well, and Will could feel the proof beating heartily against him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling back to examine every careworn aspect of the pirate who was seated quite comfortably on his torso.

"Do come in out of the hallway you two!" scolded a voice from inside the room, interrupting Jack's reply and snatching away the moment. Will's face crossed the fine line from concern to worry, but Jack wasn't giving anything away. He reluctantly rose, pulling Will after him and into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Goodness Will, Jack Sparrow waltzes in and your manners waltz out." Elizabeth commented. She was smiling playfully, sipping her tea. No muskets or cutlasses appeared at hand. She poured Will his own cup and urged the men into their seats.

"You won't believe what Jack has brought us," she announced, holding out her hand for Will to see. There, resting on the dainty palm was the gold ring she had presented to him for the first time one and a half years before. He took it into his own rough hands, toying with it unconsciously beneath the table.

"Thanks very much," he said with a nod in Jack's direction, to which the pirate returned a playful salute.

"Really Jack, you don't know how grateful we are. Do you know that it was stolen from Will? He was away on business when a very short man asked to see the ring and took a shine to it. He actually wanted to play a game of riddles for it. Of course Will refused and the man flew into a rage, striking at him and then vanishing with the ring. Poor Will even came home with a nasty bruise on his neck." Jack smiled fondly at this reacquaintance with the familiar bruise.

"We thought we'd never see it again. How on earth did you come across it?" Elizabeth continued curiously.

"Actually, I found it in a crow's nest. The little buggers have a fascination with shiny things. Like pirates, you see. Unlike pirates (well most pirates anyway), they have no fingers, so I took the liberty of relieving him of his burden. Of course when I saw the name engraved into it, my indomitable scruples demanded I seek you two out," Jack explained with the ease of a practiced liar.

"And how does one come across a crow's nest in the course of pillaging and looting and generally making trouble for the royal navy?" she pressed.

"Well there's one at the top of the Pearl's mast." Jack replied in complete seriousness. This earned him a laugh from both of his companions and a temporary reprieve from Elizabeth's curiosity.

"How surprised everyone must've been to see Jack Sparrow with a wedding ring," she mused, changing the subject.

Without skipping a beat, Jack replied: "Ah yes, it was the talk of Tortuga, but I told them I was wed to a pretty young blacksmith and that shut them up right away."

Will choked on his sip of tea and Elizabeth had a good laugh at the ridiculous notion. Jack was observing the lad though, who was clearly fighting to resume the mask of impassivity. Well he certainly wasn't going to make things easy on him.

"So, marriage? Really?" Jack sounded skeptical.

"Yes Jack. Can you stand seeing the companions of your most fantastic adventures all tied down?" Elizabeth asked, twisting her own gold band about her finger.

"To be honest, Lizzie, I'm not crazy about it in your case. Seems like the wrong cup of tea, you understand. On the other hand," he grazed his leg across the blacksmith's beneath the table before continuing, "I'd tie William down any day."

Will gave him a horrified look, which was thankfully lost on Elizabeth.

"And what about you Jack? Of course you aren't the marrying type, but haven't you found anyone special yet?" she inquired.

"Well," Jack assumed a sly look, "There is one person who has my full attention." Will's eyes alighted with a possessive glint, narrowing slightly, and his mouth settled in a frown. Was this what Jack had come to tell him?

Jack noted the reaction with satisfaction.

Elizabeth however, looked shocked. "Tell me," she demanded instantly.

Jack was happy to oblige:

"Picture an angel's face with heavenly eyes, brown like spiced rum and twice as intoxicating; a body fair and perfect in form and wrapped in skin softer than the silks of the orient; and all this divinity topped by the curious tendrils of curling chestnut hair which always escape the ribbon tying back the rest— around so long." He indicated one length, then dissatisfied, tried another.

"Rather like Will's?" Elizabeth suggested helpfully.

"Exactly like Will's." Jack agreed.

"Oh Jack, I'm so happy for you." She took his hand and gave it a squeeze when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"My goodness, it's nearly supper time!" Elizabeth rose quickly and straightened her petticoat, "That will be the butler, you two wait here and keep Jack out of sight."

Then the lady of the house took her leave, careful to open the door only so wide as was necessary.

_**-**_

Jack and Will were alone. The pirate had downed his tea, and now poured himself a full measure of the stronger stuff, leaving a faint trail up the side of the white china.

"What are you doing here, Jack?" Will asked, stony-faced.

"I'm here to check up on you— make sure you're not cheating on me with your wife. Thought you'd be happy to see me as well." Jack assumed a pout like a child and took a gulp of rum proving himself otherwise.

"Jack you know I'm always happy to see you," Will began, his voice softer, "but not in my wife's house. Not when I can't really talk with you or touch you."

"Can't touch me? Now let's not succumb to crazy ideas, luv. Come on over to this side of the table and give your Jack an I missed you grope," Jack called, beckoning.

"Jack, you don't understand." Will wracked his mind for some way to explain his predicament in terms that would make sense to the pirate.

"What if you were with a whore, and all of a sudden I showed up and just started talking with her? What would you do?" He winced at his own analogy, awkward and lame, as it stumbled from his mouth, though admittedly the pickings were slim when it came to Jack and long-term relationships.

Jack offered him a slightly arched eyebrow before answering:

"Well I suppose I'd make you pay for half, though if you were just talking with her I'd say you don't really understand the concept of a whore, luv."

"What on Earth are you two discussing?" Elizabeth was back and looking scandalized.

"Just a little chat about whores. William doesn't seem too clear on the whole business. Keeping him on a tight leash are we?" Jack asked brightly.

Elizabeth pursed her lips but she knew that Jack was baiting her. Rather than back down, she decided to raise the stakes, passing up her own chair as she approached the table.

"Maybe I just keep him satisfied, Captain Sparrow," she rejoined, boldly seating herself on Will's lap. When Will recovered from his surprise, he put a reluctant arm around her waist, and kissed her platonically. His eyes followed a lizard scurrying towards the ceiling and refused to go anywhere near Jack, praying his lover wouldn't contradict her.

Instinctively, pirate fingers fluttered at the butt of his pistol before Jack schooled them to his side, and began absently buttering a scone. Elizabeth took this is a concession and happily filled the awkward void which had developed in the room.

"I've informed the butler that we have rather a reclusive guest calling and that he is not to be disturbed. There is to be a banquet tonight, but I think I should attend alone and that Will should keep an eye on Jack. You're really not in any shape to go anyway, darling," she added, brushing some soot from his dirty cheek.

"Frankly I think you could both use a good scrubbing, so why not take this time to have a bath and I'll have some dinner sent up to you, does that sound alright?"— A nod from each man—"Good. And I'll also speak to the maid about sleeping arrangements. You do intend to stay a while, right Jack?"

The pirate shrugged, "As long as it takes," he replied enigmatically, and though Elizabeth waited for him to elaborate, he said no more.

"Very well, keep your secrets," she finally assented, standing and wiping the soot from her gown. She was at the door when Jack called after her.

"Just one request," he said, folding his hands as if in prayer, "I'd like a room nearby yours… incase someone comes looking for me in the night."

Elizabeth nodded smartly, and with a final brush of her skirts, quitted the room, leaving the dust to settle between the two men. Eventually they too vacated it, and the frozen tableau of the white china sat alone against a tropical window scene. On one unsettled chair a vest hung dutifully, and in its pocket, a golden ring, forgotten.

_**-**_

The instant the door was shut and bolted, Will felt Jack's arms around him. They shared a desperate kiss that transitioned sloppily into a muddled shedding of Will's clothes and ended with him flush up against the pirate, feelings and flesh fully bared. The toil of the day bore down on Will's exhausted muscles, and he was glad to feel a very solid Jack leaning against him.

This time Will initiated a tender, patient kiss, craning his neck to feel Jack's mustache graze across his stubbly cheek. Eager hands pulled free the ribbon in his hair, and the pirate tied it around his palm. Reaching up to place four fingers at the ridge of Will's jaw, just below his ear, Jack's thumb traversed the lad's cheek, streaking a trail of pale flesh in its wake, cutting through the grimy soot.

"Next time you've a notion to experiment with kohl, roll over and ask for a hand, eh luv?" he teased, a lilting smile playing on his lips.

"Roll over? And what makes you think I'll be sharing your bed the next time such an urge hits me?" Will asked, allowing himself to be led towards the tub.

"Just the knowledge that you'll be spending a lot more time in my bed in the near future." Jack helped Will into the water slowly. It had cooled just enough to be pleasant in the hot dregs of the afternoon.

"It wouldn't be difficult. I've never passed a night on the pearl and Barbossa has spent more time in your bed than I have." Will caught Jack's busy hands and pushed up the pirate's sleeves, exposing intentional marks as well as those not chosen.

"That's a disturbing piece of trivia. We shall have to work towards remedying it—which I plan to be one of many outcomes of this visit." Jack grabbed the soap that was laid out and began to work it into lather between his hands.

"What are you planning Jack?" Will leaned back against the tub and allowed the pirate to caress away at the grit and tension, starting centrally and then moving to the extremities.

"I haven't decided yet, but you're coming when I go, rest assured. I have a foolproof fallback plan that involves hog-tying you and throwing you over my shoulder if it comes to it." Will threw back his head in almost wistful laughter, joy piqued by his affectionate lover's efforts. Jack had probably never washed himself so well.

Crouching beside him, the pirate silently worked his hands through his boy's soft brown mane. He cupped some fresh water from his tub, for Will's had largely lost its capacity to clean, and released it over the mass of curls. Then he proceeded to banish every trace of sweat and soot, working meticulously, until by soap and water and unyielding tenacity, he returned the locks to their usual state of soft, sensual loveliness.

Long after the job was completed, Jack's hands continued to roam about, effortlessly seeking out their favorite haunts until Will shooed them away and sent Jack to undress and get into his own tub. When he was situated, Will boosted himself out of the murky waters and followed, sidling in across from him. The blacksmith sat cross-legged between Jack's knees and saw that the pirate was regarding him with rapture.

" All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," Will murmured, leaning forward to place a kiss at the junction of Jack's chest. The pirate drew him in, and they crushed the loneliness between them.

_**-**_

The tub was really too small for two, and their bodies were tightly wedged together on the one end to allow room for their legs, which were scrunched and tangled on the other. Jack rested his arms on the rim of the tub, realizing with satisfaction that he would sleep well tonight. Just being near the lad gave him a second wind and his spirit soared out of their intimacy like a phoenix from the flames.

They might have foreseen that getting out was going to be quite a trial, but neither was thinking much about that at the moment. All Jack was thinking about was gazing at the canvas of Will's broad shoulders and upper back. There, a thin layer of soot had escaped his attentions and splashes of water had turned it into a paste. He saw that Will's eyes were closed, and the calloused blacksmith hands rose and fell with the ribcage on which they rested, but he had slept beside the boy often enough to know that he was awake.

"Will, you're a blacksmith with a profitable business, handsome and young, married to the most eligible woman in the Caribbean, who incidentally you've been mad about since childhood. What the hell are you doing here in a bathtub with an old scoundrel like myself?" Jack absently ran his finger across Will's shoulder, with a paintbrush effect, making Will shiver.

"You know Jack of mine, I might ask what a seductive rogue who could have a different woman on a different continent every night wants with a ho-hum blacksmith who he can only see in the form of precarious, whirlwind encounters once in a blue moon," the boy rose up from his sun kissed pillow for a quick peck of punctuation, "This obviously isn't a match of convenience."

"And what exactly is it a match of?" Jack asked uncertainly.

Will took a long moment before replying: "It's a match of complements."

"Compliments? Like when I said you had a nice hat?" It had been a kind gesture but Jack hardly considered it the basis of their relationship.

"No, complements." Will wondered how to explain himself. What he finally came up with was this:

"Its like everywhere I end, you begin, and everywhere your body dips, mine curves. We fit together like the shore and the sea, that's why we've lasted this long." As if to emphasize his thought, he leaned over and retrieved Jack's hat, placing it firmly down on his own head and then falling back into the comfort of Jack's chest.

"But we're so different!" Jack replied, adjusting the hat so that it was slightly askew.

"Peas in a pod can't embrace Jack, they just tumble away from each other. It's the pod that holds the peas." Will said, shrugging. Pressed up so closely, Jack could feel the words rising through Will's body and the tremor that spread across the boy's muscles as he shrugged.

"So you're my pod?" Jack absently drew a curve through the soot in Will's shoulder.

"Yes." Fascinated, the pirate crossed the top with a horizontal line.

"And are you Elizabeth's pod too?" Now he added a triangle beside it with its two downward sides expanded.

"Well, you always said that you and she were two peas in the same pod." Beside that, his finger traced two thirds of a complete circle, leaving a gap in its right edge.

He finished with a vertical stroke from which two diagonal lines jutted out to the right, one upwards and one downwards.

"One oughtn't to share one's only pod," he reflected silently.

_**-**_

"What on Earth's gotten into you, darling?" Elizabeth asked, looking over her book at her husband. Will was inches from the mirror, carefully edging his customary mustache with his customary straight razor. It was a mundane ritual that she might have ignored but for the fact that he was rather persistently humming, which was most uncharacteristic.

"It's good to see Jack again, isn't it?" he replied, smiling into the keen blade.

"It certainly is, and I was so relieved to have your ring back, though how it got from that thief to a crow's nest I shall never know," suddenly she dropped her book onto her lap, "Could you believe what he said about being in love with a lady?"

"That's not _exactly_ what he said," Will quibbled.

"No, but he seemed smitten with her. I just hope she knows him well enough to leave him gracefully."

The razor froze against the soft flesh of Will's cheek.

"What are you talking about?" he asked apprehensively.

"Will, when a woman gives a man her love and devotion, she expects an equal measure in return," she explained, closing her book.

"Then you don't think Jack's capable of love?" Will let the straight razor fall away from his face and wiped his chin with a cloth.

"That's not what I said at all. Jack loves the sea, and his Pearl, and most importantly his freedom. To deny him of that would be a most hateful crime." She set aside her book and snuffed the bedside candle.

Will hesitated a moment. "What if she loves him?" he asked the darkness.

"Then she will know that she may as well love the wind, or the sea itself. And she will release him from every cage that threatens to trap him, including her love." The answer was definite and seemed to spring as much from the pervading shadows of omniscience as from a human mouth.

Will and his pensive reflection gazed at each other, echoing silent questions. The answers cast frightening shadows and uncertainty was passed between them like a flask. Love had always been the purest, most sublime entity in Will's estimation, but love was not freedom. In many ways love was a sometimes voluntary, sometimes blissful servitude. And that very night Jack himself had expressed a great deal of insecurity.

There was a thudding in Will's head, and every fiber of him simultaneously willed the pirate to his side. He wanted to call out to him, desperate to be laughed at and told he was being silly, desperate to have Jack's strength surround him like a shield against the icy slings of doubt. Only a few feet between, and still he could not close the gap. A heavy gloom fell over him, and the blacksmith unconsciously pushed back the fabric of his collar. In the mirror's reflection, the light of the candle revealed fading pirate script; scrawled across his shoulder, a name— 'JACK'.

End of part III 

A/N: Obviously Will has read Tolkien anachronistically. Anyway, let's talk reviewers. You guys made my week. I cannot thank you all enough!

Queen Vampyre Akasha- Hey, a new reviewer, welcome. So you must've read into that "we've each left our mark on the other" line…you know I always thought that speckett should be jackett, but I suppose it goes by last names and sparrington is a very cool word…anyway, glad to know that you were interested and thanks for the reassurance regarding the flamer. Your comments are always appreciated.

Thorinella- You know I wasn't sure if I could get away with that kissing scene. I was afraid it came off as too abrupt because usually in these stories Will needs a good deal more convincing. But, I am very glad to hear you enjoyed it and I'll just let you know things are gonna get rocky…we're in the heart of the fic and here there be drama. Please read on and thanks again for commenting!

Robin Goodlass- Hmmm, I don't know why exactly it seems like a buccaneer name. Goodlass…kinda sounds like cutlass don't you think? And Robin goes well with Sparrow, Swann, Tern. I've been trying to communicate even more in this chapter that there is something precious in this relationship, so you really flatter me. Thanks for sticking with the story as things got underway and I hope to hear from you again.

FastFuriousChick- Glad the flashback sat well with you. I gotta admit I'm a sucker for romance when it comes to these guys. And while I can't make any guarantees about Jack getting Will, this is not going to turn into a W/E either. Unfortunately, things are about to get more complicated than all that, and I still haven't decided what kind of an ending that means. As you guessed, the Commodore is about to be thrown into the equation. Thank you so much for your support!

Phoenix Red Lion- I believe the same thing, and while I'm certainly not trying to insult anyone, I think the description of this fic is pretty hard to misinterpret. Poor Will, what on earth is he going to do with that pirate? Like you said, Jack's having trouble with this arrangement as well…no saying how much longer he can tolerate me putting in those W/E moments…my sincerest gratitude for your time and attentions. And just out of curiosity, what is the origin of your name?


	4. Ai shiteru, baka

At seven o'clock, the sound of servants hustling about the garden paths drifted in through the window and permeated the thick hangings of his dreams, causing Will to turn his ear into his pillow and mumble annoyed incoherencies.

"Shall I shut that then, luv?" the voice of Jack floated by, and Will heard the pirate rise languidly and the click of the window latch, followed by the shuffle of returning feet. There was a gentle stirring from the slumbering figure beside him.

Her sudden shriek sliced the serenity. Will bolted upright. Elizabeth had gone rigid, up now, and very much awake. She clasped the sheet over her thin nightgown. Following her gaze, Will tried to discern what had startled her so.

"What's wrong, darling?"

Incredulous, Elizabeth gestured towards the pirate, "Jack Sparrow is in our bed," she cried.

"A rare treat, I'm told," Jack interjected, keeping a wary eye on her airborne hand. Meanwhile, realization slowly colored Will's cheeks.

"What in God's name are you doing here?" Her voice remained poised at the pitch of disbelief.

His casual manner unceasing, Jack began to spin a yarn: "I was out and about this morning, very discreetly making my way through the garden, when my reverie was disturbed by a pair of maids clucking over the sudden arrival of one Commodore Norrington. In light of this revelation, I felt that your bedchambers afforded—" Will interrupted Jack's narration by clasping a firm hand on his shoulder:

"Just a moment— did you say Commodore Norrington is here?" The pirate affirmed the statement, and Will and Elizabeth exchanged a glance. After a moment of silent deliberation, the former stiffly got to his feet.

Two pairs of eyes contemplated the column of rippling back muscles that danced under taunt flesh, cutting lines of definition and bold enticement as the blacksmith stretched his sore body.

Jack's hands pined to feel the tense chords rolling beneath them like waves, grazing a geography familiar and alluring as any native soil. Fortunately, before the pirate's limited restraint wore out, the aforementioned attraction crossed into the annexed dressing room, oblivious to his admirers.

"Last night my father let slip that we had a guest staying with us, so I announced that an old friend of Will's was visiting: a soldier disfigured and averse to the attentions of strangers. There were several officers present; no doubt the commodore was informed without delay," Elizabeth called after him, heading towards the bathroom.

_**-**_

Will reentered the room presently, dressed in a formally pressed and starched coat. The fingers that could so deftly spin threads of gold into a flowery web of filigree fumbled with the cravat.

Shaking his head mirthfully, Jack beckoned and took over the attempt at the tie, confidently passing its ends over and under each other until they sat in perfect arrangement.

As Will's downcast eyes watched the busy fingers, a slight smile snuck onto his lips. The pirate had proved himself inexplicably savvy about yet another subject as far removed from piracy as could be. Yet again he'd provoked an irrational pride, something Will rarely allowed.

And on he went, inspecting the attire with eyes narrowed in scrutiny and hands fluttering about erratically to adjust and smooth.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps caused both men to turn and acknowledge Elizabeth. Will stepped back, coughing slightly, and Jack flashed her a quick, brazen smile, lowering his hands behind his back.

"I will go and speak to the Commodore. To avoid him would only cause further suspicion and he is no doubt determined to be received," Will announced.

"Shall I go as well?" Elizabeth asked, but he shook his head immediately.

"You stay here and keep an eye on Jack."

Before he went he kissed Elizabeth in gentle farewell, and then turned to the other with a look of hesitance. Jack smiled coyly and gave him a cheeky wink. For a moment they simply regarded each other.

"Nice hat Jack," Will said finally.

"Likewise, and more so," returned Jack, understanding.

The blacksmith took his leave and the wife and lover found themselves alone. Jack fell back into the liquidity of the bed.

"If I had what you have I'd never get out of bed."

She assumed he meant the waterbed, "Oh, its a funny thing, really. Poor Will has such violent bouts of sea longing…"

Intrigue alighted Jack's face, "Ah yes, tell me all about these longings…"

_**-**_

"Ah, Mr. Turner, I was just going to send for you," Governor Swann set down his teacup and stood immediately. Two formal greetings were hurriedly dispatched.

"You must forgive me, but I left Elizabeth to rest. After last night's festivities she felt quite drained," Will said, "but please Governor, do not let me displace you."

"No no," the governor insisted, "I believe you and the commodore have some need for privacy."

Before Will could protest, he was halfway across the lawn, leaving the air rife with a nervousness that unsettled his son-in-law, and even seemed to have breached the ever composed face of the commodore. Long seconds passed while they sat, ill at ease under the leafy branches of imported trees.

"Mr. Turner, I believe you will concur with me that there are times when a man is obliged by his sense of responsibility to perform duties which are not altogether agreeable to him," Norrington began, sounding hurried. "I can assure you I do not relish the task of separating a man from his beloved."

Will couldn't help his first shocked blink, but where he looked for signs of disgust or even triumph in the face of the man, he found none, and the inscrutable expression was possibly more terrible than either.

"The conflict between his majesty's subjects in the northern American colonies and the French as well as their savage allies has intensified of late. Resources need to be swiftly relocated if we are to hold our fronts. It is with this preface that I am charged to deliver this unto you," Norrington said, pushing an official looking missive across the table.

Will's hand was slow to raise, and his fingers clamped it mechanically. Weak with trepidation, he struggled against the seal until it finally broke off in crude little chunks of wax. With this, a massive upheaval of the Will's life commenced.

"It's a conscription notice," he said dumbly.

"Mr. Turner, you are an excellent fighter and a skilled laborer, and England direly needs both if she is to preserve her place in the world."

Will's gaze was trained to the letter, "I have to go to war? In one week?"

"Unfortunately, the ship which bore us the orders was delayed by a storm at sea. We are already three weeks behind schedule, so the entire timeline has regrettably been accelerated," the commodore noticed Will's growing dismay, "We leave on the morrow."

Will couldn't speak. His mind flitted about, registering a thousand thoughts at once, racing to acclimatize itself. He would not have Jack, nor Elizabeth. He would have neither. Commodore seemed to realize no response was forthcoming, so he spoke again:

"I know this is sudden, but the world does not wait on our pleasure—nor do our enemies. I know you to be honorable, and I cannot sufficiently relate what a tour in his majesty's service will do for a man who needs to prove his quality to his contemporaries."

"Your sense of justice is however…somewhat skewed, and I must warn you that evading the draft will condemn a man not only to complete disgrace, but also to death by firing squad. As an experienced military man I can assure you that your chances are infinitely better being fired at by savages from across a field than ten paces from a line of trained British soldiers. It goes without saying that all the Swann family would be dishonored by such cowardice."

"I believe I can have you placed with an officer in relative safety if not doing metalwork completely behind the lines…"

Will rose abruptly, "I have to go and speak with Elizabeth," he announced, voice wooden, taking the letter.

"Just one more thing Mr. Turner," Norrington added, "I have heard that there is an army man staying with you."

"Yes, Corporal…Smith."

"Corporal did you say? I rather expected he might be a captain," Norrington eyed him narrowly; "Do not let any such man urge you into foolish action. It is by my consent alone that he remains in this place, but with this business of war hanging over me I shall not investigate his presence further unless I am compelled to do so."

Will nodded numbly, and walked off across the lawn. When he was finally within the walls of the mansion, he ran.

_**-**_

The bedroom was empty. He frantically doubled back to Jack's room and knocked hard, impatiently pushing open the door. The first thing he registered was that the room was empty. The second was a pistol being cocked inches from his ear.

"You know you really shouldn't sneak up on me like that luv, I might not have been decent." Jack was standing to the left of the door, smirking as he tucked away the gun. He had no idea. Will studied the smirk tragically, trying to remember the promise it had always contained.

"I have to go with Commodore Norrington."

"Is that what he told you? Well tell him he can't have you. You've already got a wife and a lover and there's no more room in the bloody bed." Jack's grin remained playful, though Will's stoicism was starting to make him nervous and he fidgeted.

"Jack, I've been drafted." Will handed over the letter.

The trademark smile fell away, and Jack scrutinized the lad a moment. He took the paper and scanned it briefly. Then he broke into a fit of laughter, doubling over. Will stared unbelieving at this new madness.

"What…you're not actually going are you?" Jack's grin resurfaced.

"It's not a bloody invitation Jack, it's an order from King George!" Will seized the letter back. Confusion and shock began to boil themselves into a temper.

"From his highness you say? Well if it's him who wants you dead than by all means, here's my pistol— God save the king, rule Britannia and all the rest," Will's only answer was a scowl and Jack felt a touch of annoyance at the boy's thickness, "How can you even think of such idiocy? What have I told you about doing stupid things?"

"You forget Jack, that I have only a half-measure of pirate blood in me, and I am a full-blooded Englishman," Will hissed crossly, watching the smile dissipate from Jack's face.

Increasingly aware of the degenerate tone of their conversation, Will deserted it. He strode out into the hall, determined to find Elizabeth and to allow he and Jack's seething moods to simmer. The pirated declined abandonment.

"Will, just listen to me for a second you rotting blighter! I know you have a remarkable ability to let opportunities whoosh by, but I'm not letting you miss this one. I'm meeting Gibbs tonight and we can be safe on _Pearl_ in three days, I swear it. "

"The Commodore has offered me a favorable assignment; _he_ will do his best to ensure my safe return."

Jack leapt into his path, ire inflamed and eyes narrowed dangerously, "You think _Norrington_ can protect you better than I can?"

"The punishment for running is execution by firing squad."

"You've got to be kidding! I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! I can take you places where they've never seen a gun, let alone a firing squad!"

Will finally pushed by him, "I will not be the coward who dodges his duty. If I don't go others must fight for me."

"But I don't care about them and you're my bloody coward! I should get a bloody say in this!" Jack ran after Will, catching up just as his wife came round the corner.

"Oh God Will, father told me, this is dreadful!" she fell into his arms, evidently outraged.

"It's not a death sentence. We're only stand-ins until real troops arrive," he whispered softly, holding her gently so as not to impose too much on her fragile figure.

Jack scoffed, "A stand-in for a corpse at best. Every month there's more ships bringing soldiers to the American shores. Line after line ravaged by disease and bullets, and for what? A few more acres in the hands of the wealthy colonists and a few more schillings in the pockets of the wealthy investors."

Will shot him a dirty look and Jack returned it with zeal.

"Will, I think you should go with Jack."

"What?" the men spoke in unison, for Elizabeth had pronounced the words so softly into Will's shirt that they fancied them imagined.

"If Jack would have you on the Pearl…you could be safe there."

Will was speechless. Elizabeth was asking him to go with Jack. The secret wish that was buried so deep within him his own heart hardly dared to whisper it. Hearing it aloud was surreal, and he felt oddly detached from himself. His two companions were no more surprised than he when he turned and walked off without replying.

_**-**_

When she finally arrived, Anamaria found Jack sitting in the back of the bar, alone, save for the company of one nondescript bottle.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here? Where's Gibbs?" Jack attempted to stand when he saw her, but quickly fell back into his seat.

"I offered to come in his place— wanted to see Will. So don't tell me you forgot the lad, you drunken old sea dog."

"Not yet, despite my best efforts." Jack pushed more rum past his scowling lips, "Young William has, in fact, chosen king and country over old Jack. He's been drafted into his majesty's service and leaves for the front lines in one week."

"He's not actually thinking of going is he?" Normally Jack would have shared her grin, but the situation was quickly loosing its capacity to amuse him.

"I don't know about that whelp anymore…used to be so bloody sure the world started and stopped on either side of him."

Anamaria took the seat beside him and crossed her arms, pinning Jack with a look of skepticism, "You don't think so anymore?"

"I'm no authority, but I don't often recall hearing of love manifest in the form of EXTREME RAGE!" He shouted the last words loudly enough to cow the din of the barroom before violently throwing back the rest of his drink and calling for another, "I don't think I've ever been so ruddy mad at anyone in my life."

Anamaria assumed an air of understanding that she knew annoyed her captain greatly, "Well, well, well, what's this potency that's so affected Jack Sparrow? It must be something strong to have brought you to the point of such a rage."

"Would that it were stronger," Jack sneered, eying his rum bottle suspiciously.

"Ah Jack—put aside that bottle of self-pity and drink from the drought of courage. You have one week to get the boy on the Pearl just like we planned. One week should be plenty for the charming persuasions of someone like Captain Jack Sparrow."

A bottle and glasses arrived at the table, and hours passed with some talking and a great deal more drinking. A wench came round to light the candles against the encroaching darkness, and the lifeblood of the establishment began to pour in, demanding drinks and all other manner of comforts.

Behind a stumbling cartographer and his buxom associate entered a bit of an anomaly— a man whose clothes were unsullied, whose hair was bundled neat as the autumn harvest, and whose chin and upper lip were edged by an impeccable mustache and the tiny foundations of a beard.

Jack immediately begrudged the imposition. He sent a sour glance to the figure, who received it and approached nonetheless. The pirate made a new attempt to stand, but the newcomer's approach was unchecked. Stubborn pride propelled the action on both sides.

"Not another step, Whelp! I'm fairly sure I'm furious with you, so just get out of here before I remember why," Jack swayed, his face scarlet from the potent cocktail of rage and rum.

"Jack, please just listen for a moment." Will's advance became cautious, though no less unceasing. A charged aura spread to fill the barroom, conducted with greater fury each time Will's foot fell closer to Jack. Anamaria stood nervously.

"Half a minute Will. Jack's not quite himself at the moment," she warned.

The blacksmith halted one foot from the pirate, refusing to be repulsed by the look of hazy fierceness Jack had assumed. By now, not the drunkest man in the bar could fail to have noticed them, and the bets had begun to roll in. The intruder was built firm and solid as a wall but the other, though smaller, was storming like the baleful Poseidon himself.

The rum sloshing in Jack's stomach offset his aim, but his strength was recklessly swollen. His fist connected explosively with the left side of Will's face. The blacksmith staggered back, breath hitching, but kept his feet. He could feel Jack's emerald ring printed into his temple, and his head pealed off throbbing notes like a great bell.

Exertion left Jack unbalanced, and he grunted with the effort of righting himself. Will was coming at him, arms raised. He cringed in expectation of a rebuttal, but the strong arms did not abuse him, rather, they encompassed him.

He thrashed vehemently, but his sapped muscles soon gave out. The rum sat heavy in his stomach like a knot of lead. His hands shook and shudders would have wracked his entirety but for the fierce, determined brace which quelled them.

Just so tightly did the blacksmith hold him, until the tremors subsided, and the form in his arms merely clung to him. Will did not fear to hold Jack with all his might. Whereas Elizabeth's refined form had to be revered and worried after, Jack's he could possess fiercely.

Only then did Will look into Jack's eyes, and seeing their fire greatly diminished, glimpsed the dim lethargy in their depths.

"What have I done to you, Jack of mine?" He whispered forlornly, leading them back to the table and away from center stage.

"You cheated…hugging's not legit in bar fights," Jack mumbled, sounding surprised but unable to muster the appropriate expression.

A ripple of the same surprise passed through their astonished audience, most of whom kept an eye on the pair though they returned to their drinking. Only Anamaria continued to scrutinize them openly.

And as they melded into the background chaos of the barroom, its denizens seemed to sense the importance of the moment though they were otherwise senseless. They had witnessed the meeting of the stumbling sea and the steadfast shore, and what a wonder it was that the two had collided spectacularly and stuck that way.

_**-**_

Jack had managed to sit, leaning heavily against the table, contentedly grasping the bottle like a pacifier. His anger had come as a gale and now vanished entirely leaving his face placid. Now he looked up at Will, as if seeing him for the first time in a long time.

"Hullo Will," he said, his long absent smile reappearing clumsily. Will hoarded it away in his memory like a treasure. Just then, Jack seemed to notice Will's face.

"What's happened to your face? Ah, William, you've such a gorgeous face—not surprised they're trying to take it from me. They always do, whenever I get my hands on anything really precious…" Jack's chattering petered off and he reached up, holding Will's chin gently between his hands, left thumb brushing across the cheek to gingerly ghost over the purple swelling around Will's eye.

"I'll kill the man who did this to you," he vowed, slurring his words terribly.

Will smiled painfully, "I'd prefer if you didn't. I'm rather fond of the fellow you see."

Drawing back his head, Jack cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, I see how it is," he replied sulkily, reaching for the bottle. Finding it empty he commandeered the glass they'd brought for Will. He tried to drink, but most of it ended up spilling onto his shirt.

"Christ Jack, you are utterly smashed," Will observed, wiping off as much as he could with his handkerchief.

Jack nodded in agreement and set down the glass. He had a third go at getting to his feet, but his legs were unsteady beneath him and he held Will's marble shoulder for support.

"Right then, who wants to take me home?" he shouted, forgetting to check his volume. Several unsavory offers emerged. Jack chose to decline and clarify.

"Which _blacksmith_ wants to take me home?"

Sure enough, a great bear of a man, grown odious with indulgence and bold with rum remained standing.

The humor fell off of Jack's face, and after giving this latest offer a quick lookdown, the pirate decisively reaffixed his gaze on the source of his support.

"Take me home luv," he said simply.

_**-end part 4-**_

A.N. Yay, it's an angsty Halloween edition. Sorry about the wait…I wonder if anyone's still reading. All I can say is school, work, and college admissions. The good news is that this is the second to last chapter and I've already written the last one. It has only to be edited. God, you reviewers are my heroes! I am in your debt forever!

Before I get into personal notes, questions for everyone: Thorinella asked about the chapter names, but before I translate them I'm curious. Does anyone know what they mean? Also, are any of you guys, well…actual guys?

Flurby: First review, you should win a prize. Erm…how about a pretty star! Anyway, yay, you love it, you really love it! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, fortunately jxw is still a delicious pairing. Thanks for reviewing.

Hedgeninja: Hello. Thanks for that nice comment. I think some chapters are more fluid than others. Especially my dialogue is pretty weak. Anyway, yeah, Jack is quite a sexually ambiguous handful. My apologies for this delay and I hope you find this again.

Robin Goodlass: We meet again, I can't believe you've been good enough to stick with me. I know its been a long wait, I'm really sorry. On the bright side I must've just poured a whole box of cornstarch into the plot because it is thickening like mad.

Phoenix Red Lion: Another old friend, thanks for your patience. (Bad writer, Bad writer) Yes things are getting tricksy. And Jack and Will thought they had problems before…I'm so mean to them. I don't know Voltron but I do like your name, so rock on!

Antigone's.Dream: Wow, you really made me blush. I did try to keep the captain's kookiness, so I'm glad you liked it. Also good to know you've come over to the Turrow side of the force. Forgive my slowness and thanks again!!!

Thorinella: Thanks for keeping on me. I've got this out because of you and everyone else who bugged me about it. Its been a long wait I know, but your support is wonderful. I do hate to make a girl cry, but the ending is what it is and we shall all see…

SoontobeMrs.Turner::glances nervously at name:: Heheh, hello Elizabeth, so good to see you. You know, this is really just a story about friendship…Okay well I'm glad you liked this and I hope you didn't check back too soon. A sorry and a thanks to you.

silverwolf of the night: Yeah, I'm a sucker for physical comedy. And Jack IS always looking for excuses to end up on top of Will. Oops, I'm sorry this update took FOREVER but I hope you haven't forgotten what the story's about and keep reading. Thanks.

Black Sorceress: You're wonderful. ::becomes guilty:: Please accept this belated chapter and read on. Re. Turrow in general— yes, we need more of it! More of it that actually gets updated and has some redeeming value::becomes more guilty::

LoveSamantha: First, are you Samantha or do you love her, if you don't mind my asking? Second, yes, that was a mean thing I did. Please forgive me and read some more, please? Third, Collide IS a great song. Its so very suitable for our J/W needs.

Renthead: Yes, its just a temporary little homemade one, but it might be more significant than it seems!!!! Okay, getting really dramatic here… thanks for the review. Me LOVE reviews. I hope you can find the fic again after all this time.

Thorn: Hey, you sent me a PM. Thank you, that really gave me the jumpstart I needed. I know its been ages since I updated, but here it is finally! I hope you like it okay because I don't want to get yelled at. ;)

Happy Halloween everyone!

-J.P.


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